If you met Stephan Matanovic in person, you might be surprised by what you learn about him.

You’d find out that he’s a total technophile. That he’s a father of three. That he cares a ton about fitness. That he listens to a LOT of rock and roll music. And somewhere in that conversation, you’d likely find out that he’s a proud member of Indy Hall, where he works from a standing desk and is known throughout the community as someone you can always turn to for help.

Which might not be surprising until you find out that Stephan works in an industry that comes with a lot of stigma attached to it: he’s a lawyer. After 15 years in a massive 800+ lawyer firm, he landed at Indy Hall and has since changed almost everything about how he approaches his work.

This Episode of The Coworking Weekly Show is focused more about what Stephan has learned about how to build professional relationships by investing small bits of his time and attention into the people around him. And he’s the first to admit that it didn’t come automatically and easily...he had to learn how to do it. So we brought him onto the show so you could learn from him!

Sam Abrams is back in this episode as a co-host (you met her back in episode 16) for this quick but extremely insightful conversation with Stephan. In just 30 minutes there are at least a dozen actionable takeaways for anyone who wants to better understand how people can get the most value from being a part of a coworking community.

My recommendation to you is to listen to this conversation with coworkers. Even if you listen once on your own, try listening again with a few people in your team or community. Use it as a discussion starter.

Notable Quotes

“The ways to connect the dots become apparent. In sort of a beautiful mind, red string across the board kind of way. If you know people, and you know what motivates them, you see those connections.” [9:08]

“I’m not good at small-talk. I’ve never liked it. But I know it’s essential to breaking down those barriers because everyone has a story. Everyone brings something to the table. And I’m genuinely curious - not just what can I get from you, but what can you teach me, what can I learn?” [12:12]

“I look at my 15 years in the firms as, I was paid to be a bully. Whether it was a deal or litigation, I was a blunt instrument, I was paid to be a bully. I don’t do that now. I want to help you build things. That’s my job now.” [17:54]

Stephan is speaking at People at Work Summit

Save the date for April 21st! People at Work is an entirely online “conference” about work and collaboration. A first of it’s kind, taking place over 24 consecutive hours and across 7 continents.

This is going to be a great place for YOU to practice connecting the dots and getting more connected to the global coworking community.

Stephan is joining People at Work to help you learn how to help coworking space members around the world connect the dots in their own communities.

Tickets for the Summit go on sale this Friday, February 11th. Find out more about the format, meet more speakers, and get the link to register here.

Support the show and get the next episode

I’m growing the team that makes this show happen! This episode is the first one that I didn’t produce myself, so say hello to my new producer Mike Mehalick. Say hi, Mike!

So here’s the scoop: Mike and I are working hard on a brand new production workflow this year so you’re going to be seeing new episodes of the show dropping MUCH more often.

Lots of awesome stuff to come, I promise, and you don’t want to miss this. Subscribe however you like to subscribe, here’s some handy links for you:

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